A 38-year-old Connecticut man was killed Saturday afternoon after a violent two-vehicle collision on the Wilbur Cross Parkway in Orange. The victim, identified as Dylan G. Barthell of East Hampton, died at the scene of the crash, which left another driver injured and sent both vehicles off the highway.
Connecticut State Police said the collision happened shortly after 4:15 p.m. on October 31, 2026, along Route 15 southbound near Exit 42B. Troopers responded to the scene at about 4:17 p.m. after receiving reports of a serious crash involving two vehicles.
According to the preliminary investigation, Barthell was driving a 1999 Ford F-250 Super Duty pickup truck in the left lane. A 2013 Ford Escape was traveling alongside him in the right lane when the pickup truck entered the right lane and struck the SUV. Investigators have not yet established why the truck moved into the adjacent lane.
The collision sent both vehicles off the highway and across the right shoulder. They struck a metal-beam guardrail before continuing through it. Barthell’s pickup truck then struck a highway sign support post, adding to the damage from the initial collision. Both vehicles eventually came to rest on an embankment along the right shoulder.
Emergency responders found Barthell at the scene, but he could not be saved. State police confirmed that he was pronounced dead at the crash site. His death brought a tragic end to what had begun as an ordinary Saturday afternoon drive.
The driver of the Ford Escape, a 64-year-old woman from Fairfield, also suffered injuries in the collision. She was taken by ambulance to Yale New Haven Hospital for treatment. Authorities described her injuries as minor.
The Connecticut State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Squad responded to assist with the investigation. Investigators are working to establish the full circumstances surrounding the collision, including what caused the pickup truck to enter the right lane.
Police are asking anyone who witnessed the crash or was traveling along Route 15 southbound near Exit 42B around the time of the collision to come forward. Anyone with information or dash camera footage is asked to contact Trooper Patrick Miko at the Connecticut State Police Troop I barracks in Bethany at 203-393-4200 or by email at patrick.miko@ct.gov.
For Barthell’s family and those who knew him, the loss of a 38-year-old loved one is difficult news to face. A routine trip ended in a fatal collision, leaving one family grieving and another driver recovering from her injuries. The investigation remains ongoing as state police work to determine exactly what happened.
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